The Crab Claw

All food was good but Crap Dip it’s a must!! Loved the Crap Cake and hush puppies. The place is not beautiful but has an old school-small town charm. I can live with the level of the service.

While visiting St. Michael's you have to experience seaside dining at the Crab Claw restaurant. It's an experience to see all the beautiful yachts and boats come and go. A family of ducks paddle by and of course there are blue fin 🦀 crabs. You can order a single one or by the dozen.

We ordered hard crabs. The biggest they had were large. All were almost entirely devoid of crabmeat. No backfin lump. Just a few shreds of crabmeat. I complained to the waitress and showed her an empty shell. She took it to the manager and they gave us half off. What we got wasn’t even worth that. The picture shows the backfin area just after opening it. Empty!

Awesome atmosphere right on the water in St Michael’s but unfortunately that’s where it ends. It is very expensive for the frozen food that is prepared. Burger was tiny so wouldn’t recommend that and the salmon was very small and didn’t have a good taste. The fried crab ball was pretty good but again not worth the $30.

We sat right on the water outside and watched the boats coming in and out. We happened to be there at the same time as the entire Terps coaching staff so that was cool. They had some pretty boats! The crab dip was really good and came in a yummy sourdough bread bowl. Most patrons were there for the crabs, tables were all dressed in crab paper and the bucket of hammers and paper towels were atop. Drinks were good. Atmosphere was fun!

I have a very clear recollection of visiting The Crab Claw in St. Michaels on a road trip with my parents and eating crabs at an outdoor picnic table on a wide lawn surrounded by other groups doing the same. When I planned this trip I made sure to be in St. Michaels at lunch time in order to visit The Crab Claw and recreate the experience with my own children. Once we arrived I was surprised to see that there was no lawn in sight, just an array of picnic tables in a rather nondescript covered deck. The jumbo crabs were exorbitantly expensive and didn't seem particularly large and the boiled corn the server suggested was charged at six bucks for each half ear. Not really the nostalgic experience I had hoped for. I guess a lot can change in fifty years.

Worst experience ever!!! DON'T GO HERE!! This place needs a major staff change and management change. The way they run their restaurant is not good at all. There were tons of servers yesterday just standing around. Why did it take over 20 minutes for someone to wait on our party. We had to get someone's attention to let them know hello we are here to eat and we would like to place are order with you. The outside bartender was rude and the guy waiter we had was rude as well. He was more focused on helping the larger party towards the back of the deck then helping us. He stopped mid way while taking our order to help run food to them. Isn't that a job for the food runners at a restaurant not the waiters job. ALSO THIS WAS MY MOM'S FIRST TIME COMING HERE AND MY MOM SAID IT WILL BE HER LAST TIME EVER GOING THERE AGAIN!!!! SHE SAID ONE AND DONE!! NEVER EVER AGAIN!! It's so sad because she was looking forward to enjoying the water views and having some yummy crabcakes. Well the unfortunate thing is know one in our party received our lunch yesterday. It took so long just to get the appetizers it was really ridiculous!!!! We sat there well over 1 hour and still no lunch in sight. However the tables next to us who sat down a good while after us received their food. Does that make any sense at all? NOPE!! There was a guy server vaping near the soda area. Not professional at all and super grose too!! This restaurant used to be so good back in the day not anymore. Very sad and disappointing to say the least!!! PLEASE SAVE YOURSELF THE TIME AND ENGERY AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE WHO WILL MAKE YOUR DINNING EXPERIENCE WONDERFUL!!!!!

This is exactly the kind of seafood restaurant you want to go to while in St. Michaels. It is a nice casual crab shack with a menu highlighting the delicious local seafood. They have a great selection of appetizers, entrees, and drinks. We did not get dessert, so I can't speak to that. Riley was our waitress. She was kind and sweet. She's a skilled waitress. For starters, we had oysters on the half shell and they were some of the best and biggest oysters I've ever had in my life. They were so enjoyable. We also had hush puppies to start with and they were also tasty. They make a darn good spicy margarita and their crab claw ale was very good. For entrees we got their fried seafood sampler. It was a great selection of fish prepared very well. The breading on some of the different types of fish was varied and I really appreciated that detail. The crab cake was all crab and I really loved the fried oysters and shrimp. There was a generous amount of clam strips.

We had a blast at this touristy crab restaurant! We had to try the Maryland hard crabs while in St. Michael's. They give you instructions on how to crack the crabs effectively. It's so fun but also laborious! The crabs are expensive, so mentally prepare for the cost! It was nice sitting by the water and watching the boats go by. We had a great time and would definitely recommend coming here.

Whether the outside weather is good or bad, we make a trip down from South Jersey every fall if we can and it never disappoints always a good experience food comes quickly and it's always above average. It just stinks that food prices are getting higher so that may deter us from coming as often. Beer is local and delicious. We always order a few pitchers while taking our time, eating those delicious crabs and watching the channel with the sparkly water and sailboats bopping by

Easy breezy outdoor waterfront dining with yummy crab cakes and frozen drinks that are perfect for summer.

A good destination for lunch or dinner. Great view of the harbor. Seafood is very good and service fast. The outdoor dining area is preferred with picnic tables. Boats may dock there and tie up for a meal. A short walk from S Talbot street.

This place is always Amazing! We always go here every summer at least once. It always a great treat and experience. Love love love it

You can't visit the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and not stop in The Crab Claw for a bite. The place has a great vibe that just makes eating seafood all the more enjoyable.

We tried this place after the boat tour in wanting to support the local small business but really? They charged 11$/crab for peelers. Service was rude. Try another place. We did and it's way better.

Excellent service, fluffing great crab fluff, tasty eats and potent Bloody Marys, recipe for a good time.

Seafood restaurant in St. Michaels right on the water Sat outside. Clams were amazing but the food was average. Very pricey for seafood. Service was ok.

My extended family and I had dinner at this restaurant on the water and enjoy the succulent, crabs and steam shrimp. Great ambience and friendly service. Highly recommended for locals and out-of-towners. Reasonably priced.

If I could give this place zero stars, I would. This place sucks and expensive for some frozen ass blue crabs. We came here with high hopes that it would be the best seafood place because come on they're only open during the summer. I'm pretty sure one of the crabs I ate was bad, it smelled kinda funky, brown and rubbery. The seafood broiled platter was ass, it was over cooked. Don't get me started with the service. Our waiter was terrible, he didn't really checked on us or offered us refills on the drinks. Don't waste your time coming here. Spend your money somewhere else.

Overall, great experience. Super-touristy of course, because of the waterfront location, but it delivers what the tourist wants: tasty, authentic seafood. My soft-shell crab sandwich hit the spot, the fries were crispy and golden brown, and it was all just perfect. The service could have been a touch more attentive, but was basically adequate.

Took my family here using our new boat. First, the boat pier/dock was not clean. There were duck poop and when we board our boat, the duck poop got on our boat - ie dock so narrow and hard to avoid stepping on duck poop. Second, the food is OK but they are served on paper plate with plastic forks and spoons. The place is expensive but at least serve the food on better plates. Waitress was very nice. We will probably try another restaurant the next time.

Realizing this was end of season but food was very unremarkable. To charge $51 for a very small piece of overcooked fish with barely a scoop of crab was extortion. I was really hoping for better. Beautiful view but that was it. Service was understandably slow and not worth the wait. I would also give the crab cakes a 2 out of 10.

My husband and I had lunch at the Crab Claw today. A crab cake sandwich with fries and a crab salad, plus one beer and an iced tea cost us $98 including a tip. The crab salad was very good: full of jumbo lump, although it came with only two slices of orange and some pickles. The crab cake sandwich ($33) was awful. The crab cake had no flavor, and even the cocktail sauce and Old Bay weren't of any help. It was a disappointing and expensive lunch!

Absolutely fantastic blue crab but wow... What a ton of work to get to the meat! Also, the seating is outside in the sun, so it tends to get very, very hot

Ambiance was wonderful. Sat outside on a covered deck on the water with a wonderful breeze. If the flies hadn't attacked our table Would have been perfect. Food was very slow. Waitress checked multiple times but took over half an hour with others receiving their food before us when they had arrived after we did. Food was ok. Probably wouldn't go back.

Nice setting looking out over the marina. That was the best part. We both had the Lump Crab sandwich. It was quite expensive and mediocre at best. We were very disappointed as we were expecting something really good. The seasoning was weak and the crab was somewhat dry. The service was decent and our server was pleasant. After driving for 2.5 hrs to see the town, the meal was a real letdown. 2 sandwiches and 2 draft beers and the bill was $110 w/tip. I think that's a little much.

First of all, bloody mary is good. Let's start there. Plus I requested celery and, to my delight, they came through. Ordered a crab cake and was happy with that, as well. On the water and just a short walk from where we were staying so very pleased all around.

I have been patronizing this place for 46 years. Sadly, this place has devolved into an overpriced and miserable experience. Once the crabcakes were about $7 each and delicious. Now they are $38 dollars each, over-fried, heavily breaded and essentially tasteless. Among the very worst I have ever eaten. Almost they come out of a cheap Morton's supermarket box. Fried chicken was decent. Service was excellent, though few customers were there. We will never return and not consider recommending this once great venue to anyone. I think greed has been the reason for the decline of this 3rd or 4th generation restaurant.

Located in St. Michael's, this is one of my favorite places to dine while in the Eastern Shore. They have a large outdoor seating area (big plus if you want to bring your dog) and a huge indoor dining room with excellent views. This time I ordered the 2 pounds of crab legs for $60 instead of steamed crabs. They had XL crabs priced at $156 for a dozen. These crab legs were the best ones I've had. They were huge and the meat just slides out from the shell. My daughter enjoyed the White Crab pizza. They have a parking lot adjacent to the restaurant. Service was slow, but which restaurant has fast service these days due to labor shortage.

This place is down and dirty - don't expect linen napkins & tablecloths. Don't expect a wine sommelier. Don't expect real plates even. What should you expect? The best damn cream of crab soup I've ever had! Period! Beautiful crab flavor. Big clumps of crab meat. Luxurious velvety broth that's not too thick. And a picnic bench outside on the water to enjoy it all!!! Fancy? NO! But who cares! This place is a MUST! Go to The Crab Claw! You'll be very glad you did!

Arrived after a day at the MASCF event next door. Was worried that we'd not get seated due to the large amount of reserved tables spread across the porch. In addition our waiter just so happened to be the same guy that saw the line behind us as we were waiting and rolled his eyes. He certainly did not look like he was having a good day, but after a few questions as to the menu and taking his suggestions as to the Crab Dip and Steamer Pot he cracked a smile and seemed more at ease. The Crab dip @ 18.95 was absolutely delicious and well presented. My wife and I each had a a crab dip for ourselves as the appetizer was easily enough for 2-4 people as it was servers up atop a braided pretzel roll and topped with melted cheese. The steamer pot we ordered was most excellent and in came with corn, potatoes, mud bugs, snow crab, mussels, clams, oysters and shrimp for $39.99. There were ample amounts of condiments including cocktail sauce, butter and clam broth to accompany the seafood selections. There was easily enough to share as we split the platter between the two of us and after such a large appetizer, we had no room for dessert. The service warmed up to us as we engaged in conversation and the views along with the occasional duck walking by the table made for a really nice evening. Highly recommended.

I loved this place! Let me preface this review with my own story. I grew up going to the Maryland shore (Ocean City). I have very fond memories of cracking crabs and having a beer with generations of of my family, but especially my grandfather. This was a special thing we only really got to do with them about once a year growing up. I have now been to a few more of the towns on the eastern shore of Maryland, St. Michael's being one of them. We found this place by accident but I am glad we did. This is the place you want to go for an authentic crab cracking, Maryland fried chicken eating, experience. If you go with the proper mindset (seriously good food served casual), and want to get the feel of a real crab house in Maryland, then this is the place to go! Things to know: 1- This is not a fancy place. You will eat on picnic tables. They will put paper on top of them to crack your crabs. 2- The people are very nice. They are there to have fun. They know this is a little slice of heaven and will be wonderful to you if you are to them. 3- Have a crab claw beer and a dozen crabs. Just do it. Get the biggest ones they have in that day. Don't forget the pickles & cheese just for fun. 4- Love the experience of sitting on the bay with your family cracking crabs. There are few meals where you have to put your phone down. This is one of them.

I was so disappointed. I traveled a long distance to visit this town and restaurant. I did not order crabs but the couple next to me did. $50 a dozen for medium crabs but they did not receive them before I left so I couldn't ask their opinion. As for me, the menu stated "Fresh Flounder" which I verified with the waitress. The flounder was obviously frozen based on the texture and look. The meal was served with two sides which I selected a baked potato and coleslaw. The restaurant provided corn muffins. I would not recommend this meal. Very disappointing for a seafood restaurant on the Bay. The view was very nice though and service was good which is why I gave the overall rating three stars.

I was digging into Yelps to get food pictures but no signal or WiFi at this location. XL crabs was the only size available and they were overcooked. I was told they are from the Chesapeake, but not New Orleans. Oyster were fresh though. Wasn't anything spectacular despite being right on the water in this area. Better seafood are available in old town Alexandria VA.

Great orange crushes; food was ok. Service was excellent. Grabbed a bag of ice from their kiosk outside on the way back to our boat for $9 freaking dollars with tax for a 7 lb bag!!!!! Absolute ripoff. My marina charges $2. St. Michaels prices I guess. Go elsewhere.

The BEST broiled flounder we've had in many years. The place suddenly got very busy after we arrived for lunch and were seated, but service was prompt and attentive nonetheless. Not too much to say about ambiance (it's a big, busy seafood place after all), but no real complaints. Well maybe the loud banging of the crab claw hammers from two tables over, but again, part of the package. The key lime pie was a bit too sweet for me, but the two of us split a piece, so the sugar high wore off quickly.

This is really a 3.5. Fantastic location - any closer to the water and we might fall into it. Outdoor seating, with a great view, and that also meant Fercha the retriever could come. We got the shrimp app which was fresh, jumbo, delicious shrimp. The soft shell crab sandwich was good - not particularly flavorful or crunchy, which is what I was expecting. I'd come back again to try other things though.

Tremendous home grown restaurant. They have the best hard shells I've had. The rest of themenu is top shelf too. I am thrilled that they avoided a shut down.

Giving 2 stars because the waitress Trina was so good as were the wings and fries. The crabs on the other hand were $84 a dozen for mediums which is October are a bit pricey but we figured it's all about location. The crabs came out, looked really good until we picked them up and they were beyond light! And I mean light. The photo attached is all that came out of 1 crab. Unfortunately we will not be back.

This was a fantastic suggestion from a local when I couldn't decide where the best place would be to get crabs. The variety of options listed on yelp with a wide variety of positive and negative reviews made the choice difficult. The local's recommendation was spot on in terms of crab and oyster dishes. The crab cakes were sensational- very meaty and not much filler. I had mine boiled which I think gave the best flavor. My son has them fried and they were done nicely as well. The sides of Cole slaw ( loved it) and fries (something I don't normally get but was recommended by our server) was perfectly done. The local oysters were outstanding- fresh and delicious!! Many menu options besides what we had chosen if preferred. The "crush" drinks were refreshing and very satisfying- I got the grapefruit "skinny" option and I loved it. Atmosphere was very nice - we sat upstairs (indoors) and it's the best view of the water. There is open air seating and covered seating below if you prefer being outdoors. The service was excellent. Parking is convenient and close by if needed.

Should've read the reviews first. Incredibly average food at exhorbitant prices. I ordered fried oysters and they were no better than the frozen ones you buy at Walmart. I expected better from a restaurant in a town renowned for their oyster heritage. Service was quite good however. The place had your classic casual waterfront ambiance that didn't at all match the quality of the food.

Wouldn't recommend this place at all! Sat for almost 20 minutes. Watched as 3-4 tables seated after us get menus and and drinks and still we got no service. So we left! However not without the hubby giving a peace of his mind!

So sad. I had great memories of eating a crabcake sandwich here 30 years ago so I returned. We had to wait in line for 20 minutes although nearly half the tables were empty. My "lump crabcake" had filler and way too much salt. It came without lettuce and tomato. The waitress said she'd bring it to me but had to charge me a dollar extra. That on top of what was already the most expensive crab cake Ive had on the Eastern Shore and most importantly not a good one. I guess you cant go back.

Touristy spot on the water which meant very long waits for drinks and food. I understand that they were understaffed under the COVID restrictions. However, the food was simply underwhelming in taste and presentation. Everything tasted as if they had been freshly defrosted and slapped on the plate. We tipped our waitress well because we felt sorry she had to work under these conditions.

3.5 We enjoyed our lunch outside on the deck except for a few minor things.... We seated ourselves on the dock because of the view and all was fine... until a super yacht pulled up and nearly choked us out with its fumes as it positioned to dock... goodbye view. Our server was OK. We had to remind her multiple times about forgotten drinks and condiments - maybe she was new, maybe she had too many tables. But the worst part? She forgot our bucket of oysters! We had to wait quite a bit for it to be brought out so instead of being an appetizer, it technically was a dessert. I liked that it was served with lemon, clam? juice and horseradish. I also had the salmon, which was OK. The side of vegetables was laughably tiny, served in a very small cup. Luckily, the weather held up, it didn't rain, and once we recovered from inhaling all that boat's gasoline fumes, we were able to enjoy our meal.

Excellent lunch with a spectacular view of the Saint Michaels harbor. The cream of crab soup was filled with delicious lump crab and it's the best I have had in years. I had a very flavorful broiled crab cake on a fresh garden salad with house ranch dressing. The crab claw ale had a very nice mild fruity flavor which was a perfect complement to the seafood. The service was excellent & friendly.

Went on a Saturday, not very crowded. Wife's crab cake was meh, and the roll they put it on falls apart almost immediately. I had the Salmon with avocado BLT, which was very good! Service was not good.

We were a little concerned that the restaurant was nearly empty the whole time we were there, and with the slow service and average food quality, we understand why. Kind of disappointing to just get an average meal when every other place in town hit a high note.

Terrific setting. We didn't have crab but opted for fish. Rockfish and salmon. Both good but nothing out of the ordinary. Well, it was out of the ordinary that they had fish. Most restaurants we stopped in On the Eastern Shore had plenty of shellfish but very little of the garden variety fish with gills and scales. Anyway, the high point of the meal -- like most of our meals on the Eastern Shore -- was the Smith Island Cake! This was the standard chocolate and yellow cake variety. So good!

Went to St. Michael's for a day trip and wanted to pick some crabs, boy did we make the right choice!! Service was good. Menu choices very good. I got a dozen medium-sized steamed blue crabs and they threw in a couple extra. I picked in happiness for about two hours! Definitely would go there again! Note to other men - men's bathrooms are super close quarters. Haha! #yelpcville #stmichaelsmd #deitzeatz

Best crab house in the DMV! Great place ! I'm here all the time. Ms. Laurie is wonderful and always makes me feel welcomed.

It was a rainy day so no reservation was really needed, however it helped us to secure a nice window seat. Food came fairly quick and was okay. Not the very best we ever had but considering the price point acceptable. Service was super friendly.

completely overpriced portions are terrible. their crab and rockfish is good but that's it. strongly don't recommend unless you want to pay 300 dollars for 4 meals where all except one is mediocre

Beautiful views. Good food. Pretty good service. A boat backed up to us and the restaurant smelled like gas for 15 min.

This place is right on the water, great view for drinks. We got orange creamsicles, steamed clams and the rockfish. Drinks and clams were awesome. Rockfish was terrible. It was dry and tough, seemed like it was pre-cooked and then warmed up. The table next to us got crabs. If we had more time, that would have definitely been the better pick

We decided to have lunch there and both picked items that said MP not an actual price attached. My husband got crab imperial ,french fries and apple sauce. The portion was very small of crab imperial but fine for lunch. I ordered a crab cake sandwich, fries , and cole slaw. Very good !! We had 2 cocktails that tasted of juice only. We were shocked when the bill came and it was $100 for 2 people for lunch. crab imperial - $44 WOW !! crab cake sandwich - $30 WOW !! 2 drinks -$20 We had dinner at a high end restaurant the night before 1 mile up the road for less than that. We aren't cheap people but just be aware when you go.

this place is a dump and charges $10 a crab. keep driving East. the seating is picnic tables three feet apart